


Four leaf clover

by maliwanhellfire



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: A/B/O, Dorian is still queer, M/M, happy holidays, thanks to sarahwhat for the prompt, the only A/B/O fic for this universe that I will ever write
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-18
Updated: 2015-12-18
Packaged: 2018-05-07 08:40:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5450363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maliwanhellfire/pseuds/maliwanhellfire
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Iron Bull tries to figure Dorian out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Four leaf clover

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Sarahwhat](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Sarahwhat).



Dorian Pavus was an odd guy.

“What?” Dorian asked.

One of Cullen’s boys, one of the newer ones, had been glaring Dorian down, his body flush with aggressive hormones; sending out little chemical signals that would’ve sent most betas running. Dorian hadn’t even lowered his chin.

“I… you…” the soldier said, body flushing out one more burst of angry musk.

Dorian sniffed delicately, and then curled his lip in distaste.

“For the love of the Maker, put it away,” Dorian said. “You are in public.”

And then Dorian turned away, exposing his back to an alpha that was ten years his junior. The kid looked so ashamed and confused that he turned purple. Every single one of his peers that was within listening distance, stopped what they were doing to laugh at him.

Bull wasn’t watching him though. Bull was watching Dorian, striding off like the only cares he had were manuscripts.

 

\---

 

“So, what are you?” Bull asked, sliding onto the chair next to Dorian’s, sly grin on his face.

They were at Cabot’s and now months into their acquaintanceship, so Bull felt he could ask. It was one of the first things you learned about a person, one way or the other, but Bull hadn’t had so much as a whiff. Whatever Dorian was, he had that shit locked down. Bull didn’t know if it was magic, or medicine, or just very good cologne, but Dorian never smelt like anything but Sandalwood.

“Ugh,” Dorian said, rolling his eyes at Bull and standing up from the table.

“Come on, you can tell me,” Bull said. “I’ll keep it to myself, promise.”

“You are incapable of keeping anything to yourself,” Dorian said.

“Now you know that’s not true,” Bull replied.

“You’ve slept with three of Cullen’s soldiers and two of the kitchen staff,” Dorian said. “This week.”

“Yeah but you don’t know what we _did_ ,” Bull said.

“ _Ugh_!” Dorian replied.

 

\---

 

“Come on, tell me,” Bull said, as they stomped through the Hinterlands.

“No,” Dorian replied.

 

\---

 

“I’m an alpha,” Bull said, by the campfire.

“Bull, everyone and their arthritic grandmother knows that you are an alpha,” Dorian replied.

 

\---

 

“I have ten silver on beta,” Varric said.

“Oooh, going for the obvious answer?” Bull asked.

“I do hate you all very much,” Dorian replied.

 

\---

 

On the ride home from meeting with Halward Pavus, Bull didn’t say shit. He didn’t know what had happened, but it hadn’t gone well. For the first time since they’d met, Dorian’s head was bowed from something other than fatigue and interminable bad weather.

It was unpleasant to see it.

 

\---

 

“Chief, the Chargers have asked me to talk to you about something,” Krem said.

“What?” Bull asked.

Krem was a beta, and as dependable and level a man as anyone might find. Even with the arguable defect of being a ‘Vint. Krem was direct, and knew how to keep things impersonal when he needed to.

“You smell like a brothel,” Krem said. “All the time.”

“Business as usual then,” Bull replied.

“Fine, you smell like the red light district in _Denerim_. Whatever you are doing with Lord Fancybritches, it is _not working_ and it is scaring the shit out of every alpha in Skyhold who’s not as dominant as you.”

“So, everyone but Leliana?”

“Pretty much.”

Bull took a moment to feel proud of himself. Yes. Let the lesser beings quake before him. At least, until Leliana put her foot down.

“But how else am I supposed to let the ‘Vint know I want to hit that?” Bull asked.

“I don’t fucking know,” Krem said. “He’s an Altus, try a blood ritual.”

 

\---

 

Bull had been very close to giving up when Sera finally took pity on him, and set him straight.

“He doesn’t know you like him,” Sera said, plonking down opposite him. “Like, at all.”

“How?” Bull asked.

Sera put her hand out across the tavern table. The only thing Bull had on him was a fresh glass of beer, so, begrudgingly, Bull gave it to her. She took a long sip before speaking again, and Bull didn’t bother to tell her about her beer moustache. Though he did know that she likely did not care.

“He knows you smell like you want sex, but he doesn’t know you want sex with _him_ ,” Sera said.

“Again, how?” Bull asked, but with genuine confusion.

Sera sighed.

“Look,” she said. “He’s not picking up what you’re putting down. He doesn’t know you put his name on it or whatever. Like one of them people what can’t see colours right.”

Bull blinked.

“You’re stupid,” Sera said. “This is stupid. I’m going somewhere more fun.”

She left with his beer.

“Huh,” Bull said.

 

\---

 

“Want to have sex?” Bull asked.

“ _UGH!_ ” Dorian shouted, throwing his book at Bull’s face.

 

\---

 

In Dorian’s defence, Bull shouldn’t have asked while he was in the library.

 

\---

 

Two weeks later and three beers in, Bull tried again.

“So,” Bull said.

Dorian looked up from Bulls biceps to his eye.

“I want to ride you like a pony,” Dorian said.

“Sounds good,” Bull replied.

 

\---

 

Afterwards Bull opened his mouth, only for Dorian to put his fingers gently over Bull’s lips.

“Don’t ruin it,” Dorian said, eyes tired and sad, and exactly how he should not look.

Bull kissed him then, and told himself it didn’t really matter, the question he’d been going to ask. He didn’t need to know and he didn’t care.

 

\---

 

Dorian told him, six months later.

“I’m not anything,” Dorian said. “Any of the… I’m not any of them.”

“Huh,” Bull said.

“Are you upset?” Dorian asked.

“No. Why would I be?” Bull asked.

Dorian wasn’t looking at him. He had his head tucked down and to the right. Bull slipped his arm around Dorian’s shoulder, holding him in close.

“Others have been,” Dorian said.

His body was as tense as a wire, and Bull could smell the stress on him, just a little, the way he could sometimes when Dorian was particularly worked up over something. It had taken a while to get used to. He’d thought Dorian was subtle, but that was only when you weren’t watching him. His feelings were there in the way he held himself, always.

“You were unique to begin with,” Bull said. “You little Snowflake, you.”

“If you can’t be serious…”

“I like you just as you are.”

Dorian froze, body so still he wasn’t even drawing breath for a good, long moment.

“You… do?” Dorian asked, voice so soft it broke Bull’s heart.

“Of course,” Bull said, leaning down to kiss Dorian’s hair.

Dorian leaned into him, and Bull pretended he couldn’t smell salt. He held him for a long time.

And after that they were hungry, so they got lunch.

 


End file.
